West Virginia Child Welfare Cannot Discriminate Against Potential Kinship & Adoptive Caregivers In Addiction Recovery

West Virginia cannot bar residents in addiction treatment recovery programs from adopting children, according to an agreement on May 13, 2020, between the state and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). OCR said its investigation into the state’s disability rights policies found systemic deficiencies. The agreement clarifies that under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau for Children and Families (BCF) cannot discriminate against people participating in opioid addiction treatment programs by preventing them from adopting.

OCR investigated . . .